


Where We Start

by alafaye



Series: Our Path [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-27
Updated: 2014-08-27
Packaged: 2018-02-15 01:53:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2211288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alafaye/pseuds/alafaye
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All the beginnings--and a few middles--of the team.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Where We Start

**Author's Note:**

> This starts post Avengers, but continues on through and past the following: Captain America: Winter Soldier, Iron Man 3, and S1 of Marvel's Agents of Shield. Basically, a tie in of all the things. Hints at the Civil War--but it's a 'blink and you'll miss it' kind of deal. I write primarily from the MCU and Agents, but include one or three things from the comic verse.

Steve looked up when Tony entered the room and quickly looked back down at his gloves, taking his time to take them off. He licked his lips. "That was good, what you did," he said into the silence.

"Huh?" Metal fell. 

"The, ah, missile," Steve explained. "That was good."

Tony huffed, almost laughing. "Laying down on the wire."

Steve smirked. "Well, that's step one."

"There's steps?" Tony asked incredulously. "And here I thought all it took to be a super hero was to put on a suit and save the day."

"Maybe," Steve argued. "But I'm talking about teamwork, soldiers coming together to save the day."

"Taking warriors and shaping them into soldiers?"

Steve looked up. "Huh?"

Tony waved his hand. "Julius Caeser. Never mind." More metal pieces fell to the floor.

"Did you need a hand with that?" Steve asked. 

Tony shook his head, but when a piece got stuck, he sighed. "Yeah. Could you--just, there should be a flat head around here somewhere."

He must have been working in here because Steve found one quick enough. He pried at the pieces where Tony told him to. "What happened?"

"Something about going through the portal, jammed the systems," Tony sighed. "Going to be a mess rebooting it. I'd wait to get it off until I get back home, but I'm not sure the tower is structurally sound enough to withstand me flying into it right now. And I got a message from Jarvis saying that he is having trouble connecting to the system there. No guarantee the machines that pull all this off will work."

Something Steve removed must've unlocked a block in the locking system because the suit came apart in a giant clang of metal. Tony blinked. "Well."

"I'm sure they have a cart around here somewhere," Steve muttered.

Tony laughed.

~~~

Fury looked them both in the eye, hard. "I want you both on your best behaviour. Am I clear? No fights, no distractions. Nothing. Solid, seamless teamwork."

"Yes, sir," Steve told him.

Tony sighed. "Sir, yes, sir."

Fury glared at them both for a minute longer before waving his hand. They got while the getting was good. "So. Ukraine."

Tony hummed, thumbing through his phone. "I've heard nothing but bad coming out of there these last months."

Steve frowned. "I haven't--"

"Industry news," Tony interrupted. "Business deals, politics, et cetera."

Their mission was...difficult. A conference was being held in the capital and Stark Industries had been invited--either in the audience or as a presenter. Since the conference was focused on the technological relationship between the battle field and the home front, SI had refused to present. But given the topic, they had to send someone. Pepper had signed up to go, but Tony had volunteered, always cautious when it came to battle field tech.

It just so happened that the conference coincided with SHIELD needing an agent to go in and do some background scan. For some reason, however, they were sending Steve as Tony's bodyguard for the conference as a distraction away from the agent.

Add in Tony's revelation and Steve wondered what was going on.

"They probably think something big is about to happen," Tony explained a moment later. He handed Steve his phone.

It was a news article, a small two paragraph thing, citing concerns over a recent series of breaks in of government facilities. Facilities responsible for applied research. 

"I suppose these have been repressed," Steve said. He handed back the phone.

"Of course they have been," Tony growled. "No need to upset the public that someone nefarious group might be getting their hands on some research that could severely injure people."

Steve frowned, remembering something. "One of those factories--I was there, back in the war."

Tony stopped in the hallway. "Hydra?"

"I think so," Steve replied, thinking. "We found, what was it? I can't remember it now, but your father knew what it was. We handed off the photographs to a German scientist who had defected."

Tony's eyes narrow and he looked behind them at Fury's office. "You don't say."

"What is it?" 

Tony took a deep breath. "This might be trickier than it looks, is all. If that factory is still doing what it was doing before--"

"But we destroyed it," Steve told him. "Well, the British did. RAF went out after we got the photographs and bombed it."

Tony's lips tighten. "Some things can be recovered, Captain."

Steve knows that only too well. "But why send us?"

Tony lifted an eyebrow. "That's the million dollar question, isn't it?"

~~~

Thing was, once they had gone a few rounds in the gym and talked while doing it, Steve and Tony got along. They wouldn't agree on everything, never would, but they were both working toward the same goal in the end. And working together, they both agreed, was sometimes the better way to get it done. They had skill sets that lined up and had a team who had more skill sets and working together rather than against, well, everything worked out for the better.

What was even better was having a friend. Steve had never thought they could be, given the fact that they had butted heads from day one, and no matter how good a team they might make, it didn't mean friendship off the field. The war had taught Steve that and he had always respect that you could work with people and not be friends. But it was good, having Tony for a friend. Tony didn't like to explain anything--complaining that no one could keep up with him--but he did take the time to explain. And if Steve was able to get Tony out of the shop, they did enjoy a day out.

It was difficult to see--they couldn't not argue; they spoke different languages, Steve as a tactician and Tony as a scientist. It often took them minutes to work out that they were working toward the same thing, but they got there in the end. 

Lately, though, Steve wondered if they were starting to not need minutes to understand. Something had changed, what he didn't know, but something had. Tony would say "there" and Steve would know without having to ask. He would say "three down" and Tony would know what it meant. And there were looks and more days out and Steve knew that they would have no problems working as a solid team on this mission.

"I know I'm supposed to be your body guard at this conference, but is there anything I need to know?" Steve asked once they had gotten clearance to remove their seat belts.

Tony looked away from the window and raised an eyebrow. "You mean, is anyone going to ask you some technical question?"

Steve nodded. Tony shrugged. "Shouldn't. Besides, you'd be better off hiding in the shadows. You know, pretending to be invisible while watching me."

"While watching to make sure that no one will notice the agent getting info?" Steve asked.

Tony narrowed his eyes. "Wait, hold on."

Steve leaned back. "What is it?"

Tony taped his fingers on the arm rest. "Well, think about this way. There's been a series of break ins of research facilities, yes? One of which you knew Hydra was occupying during the war. SHIELD is sending in an agent to do some recon and spying, supposedly during the conference--well, at the conference."

"That would make sense, given what we were told at SHIELD," Steve agreed.

"But why send someone in at the conference?" Tony pointed out. "Wouldn't it make more sense to send someone to infiltrate the police? Or pose as scientist and get a job at another research facility?"

Steve nodded. "It would."

"But then why send us to the conference as a distraction? Further more, why send us?"

"He's sending me," Steve reasoned. "Under the guise of being your bodyguard."

"But why? I'm not a distraction, haven't been since I left my youth behind."

Steve raised an eyebrow. "Youth?"

Tony waved his hand. "Youth, five years ago. Semantics. Who's counting? My point is--"

"Get a list of the attendees then," Steve cut in. "See if any of them have a connection to the break ins. Or...see if they would have a grudge against the work going on at the facility."

Tony frowned. "I think this is deeper than that. Something bigger."

"Working already?" Pepper interrupted as she walked in from the back room. Taking a business call to let the boys talk shop she said.

Tony grinned and held his arm up. She slid into the seat next to him, but waved off his arm. He shrugged. "That's what you meant we should do, right?"

She threw him a pointed look. "I meant actual shop talk, but now I'm wondering."

"So are we," Steve admitted. Hanging around Tony meant getting to know Pepper, too, and like Tony, Steve found it difficult to keep things from her. 

"Bad news?" she asked.

"We're not sure," Tony admitted. "We'll find out soon enough, I suppose."

She shrugged. "Just keep me out of it. You promised me, last time, that I wouldn't find myself in the line of fire."

Steve smirked. "Well, looks like I'm keeping an eye on both of you."

She smiled at him and patted Tony's knee. "At least one of you listens."

Tony huffed.

~~~

At least Pepper had gone out for lunch, Steve thought two days later. He brought his shield up in time to stop a bullet and swung to his left to stop a knife. He knocked the hired muscle out and leapt over a table to hunker down. Tony knelt up and fired off toward the main stage where the automatic gun was still firing. It made a whirring noise and then was back up and firing.

"Damn it," Tony groaned. He looked at Steve. "Ideas?"

Steve chanced a look over the table and jumped down when a laser nearly hit him. "Repulsors?"

"Out," Tony growled. "That gun got it."

Steve grit his teeth and the building shook. He walked behind Tony to peer around the side. The ceiling next to the main stage now had a smoking hole, though the side of the hole showed that part of the steel skeleton was damaged. He smirked and turned to Tony. "Bring the house down."

Tony looked over and then back. "You sure? We may not make it out in time."

Steve took a deep breath. "That's a chance we'll have to take. The sooner we get it done, though, the sooner we might be able to get the tech out of the hands of the bad guys."

The last morning presentation had been from an unknown group--one that even Tony hadn't known--and they had wheeled on stage the gun. They claimed it had been a gun whose guidance system could be modified to help guide in planes on a runway. But as soon as it had been booted up, it had started firing off into the audience. The presenters had, at first, looked gleeful, but when the gun had turned on them as well, they had left the scene.

Steve had no doubts, though, that they would be back to claim their equipment. If he and Tony could get it to shut down, they could get the tech back to SHIELD.

Tony swore again. "I need you to hold my arm steady."

Steve looked up. "What about the other repulsor?"

"Out," Tony bit out. "Believe me, I would rather not move my shoulder more than I have to."

"Can I fire it?" Steve asked. "Take it off and let me do it?"

Tony's head tilted back and forth, considering it. In the end, though, he shook his head. "Jarvis said our best bet is to have me fire it, even with the wound. Brace my arm now and on three, we both stand up and I fire. Good?"

Steve shrugged and nodded at the same time. Good enough. He put his arms where Tony told him to and on three, they were up and firing and the building came crashing down on them. He held his shield over his head and heard concrete and wood hitting it and Tony's armor. 

It was over in moments, though, and he coughed around the dust as he slowly stood up to survey the damage. The floor was a mess, looking like a dump, but he could see the stage as the dust cleared. The machine was on its side, not firing, and so far, none of the hired muscle from the assailants were moving in for it. Steve crossed the room as as he could to get to it.

"Got a message," Tony called. "SHIELD agents are at an eta of ten."

Ten minutes--they could handle ten minutes.

~~~

Tony groaned as Steve helped him into the chair. In addition to the wound in his shoulder--gotten before he could suit up--some rubble from the building collapse had landed on his leg, crushing the metal and causing a hairline fracture. 

"This is why metal suits won't stop battle field damages," Tony muttered, leaning back with a wince.

Steve pulled over a stool to prop Tony's leg up with and then adjusted the strap on Tony's sling. Tony feebly pushed at Steve's shoulder. "If you want to do something to help, get me a drink."

Steve smirked. "Not with the pills you took. Can't have both."

Tony huffed and his head fell back. "My god, you're worse than Pepper."

"As in he'll find a way to bring you back after killing you?" Pepper yelled as she stormed into the room. She looked the same as she had that morning when they had parted ways. Thankfully. Hard enough to keep track of Tony on the field, Steve didn't want to have to keep an eye on them both.

Tony scrubbed his face with his hand. "Hey, at least you weren't there. Right? Right."

She clenched her fists. "Tony."

He huffed. "What? You only said I had to keep you off the front line. Not for me to stay out of it, too."

"You promised me that you would leave if it got bad," she reminded him.

Steve stood up, frowning. "Tony would no more leave a scene like that than have you there."

Pepper's face pinched up and Tony sighed. "She's just worried, boy wonder."

"For good reason!" she said. "You were shot, Tony! You told me the suit would stop the injuries. And it didn't!"

"I was shot before the suit could reach me," Tony countered. "That's not my fault, you know. I'm already working on the calculations to--"

"Stop!" she yelled. She bit her lip, looking like she was holding back tears. "I can't--"

"Hey, no," Tony whispered. He held out his hand to her and she quickly put her hand in his. He pulled her closer and she sat on his good knee. "I'm sorry."

Steve swallowed. "Ah, I'm going to--let me know if you need anything, okay?"

Pepper sniffed and grabbed the edge of his shirt. "You're not off the hook either. You told me you'd watch out for him."

Steve licked his lips. "I'm sorry."

"We're all sorry, yeah?" Tony offered, looking between Pepper and Steve. "We agree on that, right? So can we get on with the cuddling now? I like post battle cuddling. Well, not more than I like post battle sex, but--"

"Tony," Pepper hissed. She looked up at Steve. "But you can stay, you know. For the, ah, post battle cuddles."

Tony looked hopeful, but Steve... "You two--talked about--" He pointed at himself, then the two of them.

Pepper smiled softly. "Of course we did. We both appreciate the fine male form and you're a good guy, to boot. We both agreed that someday, we would. But only if you want to."

"Please?" Tony asked.

"We'll go slow," Pepper promised.

Steve stayed. At first, he only agreed to stay for a movie and some food. But somewhere in the middle of that, they got onto the ridiculously huge bed and fell asleep.

~~~

Nick walked into the lab and smiled at the new technician who stood and stuttered out a hello. "Got any news for me?"

She nodded and put her findings up on the conference screen. "It uses facial recognition software to identify targets."

Nick frowned. "So the group that presented this at the conference--they were targeting specific people?"

"Well, yes," she admitted. "I haven't yet seen the video from the day this was used, but I can tell that the software is in mostly good working order. I can see where it could've gotten confused, but I do believe that the first three or so targets would have been intended."

Meaning that Tony Stark, the second injury, had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. "Send the information to my desk and destroy it all, including the machine."

"Of course, sir," she said as he left. 

Moments later, though, she was called to another part of the building. When she returned, the machine and her findings were gone.

~~~

"Tony?!" Steve called, racing into the living room of Tony's suite at the Tower. "Pepper?"

"In the bedroom, Sir," Jarvis told him.

"Thanks," Steve muttered.

The door opened when he got there and he half smiled when Tony beckoned him in. He was sitting in a chair by the bed, but Pepper was sleeping.

"I heard when I landed," Steve explained. "I was--"

"In the middle of nowhere," Tony finished. "I know."

Steve looked away. "I would've been there if I had known."

"I know," Tony whispered. 

Steve looked at Pepper. "I...I was only told that you threatened a terrorist, died, and then came back. And killed the terrorist. And that Colonel Rhodes saved the president. What happened?"

Tony scrubbed his face. "I'd tell you to ask Bruce, but he fell asleep on me." He sighed. "There was this group--AIM. Advanced Idea Mechanics, they had this idea to tap into the human genome and improve people. Well, some people."

Tony swallowed hard. "They got Pepper."

Steve sucked in a breath. "Oh, Tony."

Tony chuckled, but it was weak and sounded self-defeating. "I promised her and...fuck."

Pepper stirred on the bed. "Tony?"

"Steve's here, too," Tony whispered.

She moved her head to find Steve and smiled. "Hey, you. Did Tony tell you I killed someone?"

Steve raised his eyebrows. "You? Nah, I don't believe it."

She shrugged. "I did, though."

Tony leaned forward and put his hand on her forehead. "I've got some calculations running already. We'll have you better in no time."

She frowned. "Have you slept yet?"

He shook his head. "Was watching over you."

Steve cleared his throat. "I'm here now. I'll watch things."

"You just got back, though," Tony pointed out.

Pepper sighed. "How about we have Jarvis keep an eye on things and we all rest some?"

"A sound idea, Ms. Potts," Jarvis agreed.

Tony's shoulders slumped and he looked at Steve. Steve shrugged and sat at the end of the bed to begin pulling his shoes off. "Sounds good to me."

"I'm defeated then," Tony groaned. 

Pepper smiled and patted the bed next to her. "In."

~~~

"This could be a problem," the agent reported.

Computers clicked and whirred. "Yes, it could be. I am running a calculation, however, to see if we can overcome this."

"My reports indicate that he could be an asset. In fact, we ran a simulation that if we manage to pass certain regulations, Stark would support it."

"Best to do away with him now rather than not and risk him going against us."

There was a moment of silence. "My reports also indicate that he has formed a bond with the Captain."

"Oh, I would not worry about that. I already have an agent moving in to stop that."

The agent nodded slowly. "If you're sure."

Computers whirred. "I am always sure."

The agent left and more computers clicked. Outside, the agent met with an untimely but necessary end.

~~~

Clint raised his eyebrows when he saw Fury standing outside the door. "Didn't know you knew how to ring a doorbell, sir."

Fury smirked. "Lots of things you don't know about me. Can I come in?"

Clint shrugged and stepped back, opening the door further. "Not that I can stop you."

"Good to know we understand each other," Fury said. 

Clint shut the door and followed Fury into his home. Elizabeth was home from school and looked up, wary. Natasha had warned her that Fury could not be trusted fully and had been closed off to him whenever they saw each other. But Fury nodded his head at her. "Elizabeth."

"Daddy?" she asked Clint.

Clint nodded his head toward the stairs. "Go on."

She beamed and gathered her toys. She looked back only once, on the stairs, and then was off like a shot. Clint thought she would probably be on the phone to her papa in moments. 

"Something to drink?" Clint offered.

Fury shook his head. "This isn't a social call as you are well aware. I'm here to tell you to get out."

Clint frowned. "Get out?"

Fury took a deep breath. "I haven't told Phil yet, but something's gone wrong somewhere. Get Elizabeth together and get out."

~~~

"Welcome back, sir," Jarvis said. "Mr. Stark may or may not be pleased to see you. I'm unsure of which."

Steve raised his eyebrows. "What happened?"

There was a heavy pause as the elevator started climbing up. "I will only say that Ms. Potts no longer resides here."

Steve frowned. He had left last month for a mission and had been out of touch for as long. Last he knew, Tony had figured out the Extremus code and Pepper was scheduled to have the medical procedure to correct it. Jarvis would have told him that she had...passed. Right?

"She's still alive, though?" Steve asked hesitatingly.

"Of course, sir," Jarvis assured him. "I apologize if I made you think otherwise."

Steve let out a breath. That was good at least. The doors opened and he got out, looking around. Tony's head popped up from the sofa. "Hey! Look who's home!"

Steve crossed the room, smiling. "Yeah. Debriefed, showered, slept. I'm all yours now."

Tony's head disappeared as Steve heard a thud. "Ow," Tony muttered. He slowly stood up, a bottle in his hand.

"Tony?" Steve asked.

Tony blinked. "Yeah?"

"What happened?" Steve pressed.

Tony sighed. "Pepper left."

Well. Shit. Steve had worried about this for a long time, but it seemed that Tony and Pepper were in a good place. Guess Steve had been wrong. Steve crossed the room to take the bottle from Tony. 

"Hey!" Tony yelled, reaching for the bottle.

Steve wrinkled his nose at the stench. "Jarvis, how much has he drunk?"

"Don't answer that--"

"Sir has been drinking on and off--mostly on--for the last forty eight hours," Jarvis said.

Steve raised his eyebrows at Tony. Tony scowled and looked away. "Go away, Steve. I can't--I just...Pepper's gone."

Steve sighed and set the bottle down on a side table. "Bedroom. Now."

Tony raised his eyebrows. "I know I look like I think that sex solves everything, but it really doesn't."

"For sleep," Steve said, pushing Tony toward the hallway. He grabbed Tony's arm to keep him from grabbing the bottle. "Unless you want a cold shower."

"Hey, now that's uncalled for," Tony muttered.

"But necessary if you fail to willingly go to sleep," Steve argued.

"I have started the shower in case, Captain," Jarvis pipped in.

Tony groaned and went boneless in Steve's arms. "Oh my god, I hate both of you. So much. Starting now."

Steve picked Tony up. "For how long this time?"

"Forever," Tony said. He huffed. "And a day."

Steve smirked. "Then I'll ask you again after tomorrow."

"That's not forever and a day," Tony pointed out.

"It is in your world," Steve said. "We discussed it."

Tony frowned and eyed Steve. "When?"

"Seven months ago," Jarvis supplied. "When you were explaining an argument you had with Ms. Potts."

Tony sighed. "Why did I ever think it was a good idea to have AI?"

"I ask myself that every day, Sir," Jarvis agreed.

Steve chuckled.

~~~

"Back to work, Captain," Fury told him. He was less intimidating on the screen than in person.

Steve raised his eyebrows. "I thought I had six months of leave."

"That was then," Fury pointed out unhelpfully. "This is now. I need you in D.C., not in New York babysitting Stark."

Steve crossed his arms. "He was in a bad place. Someone needed to be here to make sure he didn't get into his suit the way he was."

"And now he's better," Fury said. "You see? D.C., twenty four hours. Am I clear?"

Steve sighed. "Crystal, sir."

Fury glared and cut the connection. Steve took a deep breath. "Jarvis, where is Tony?"

"Sir is in his workshop, avoiding the finance meeting," Jarivs told him.

Steve turned and started walking toward the private elevator. "Could you send a memo to Pepper and tell her that Tony will be unavailable for the next sixteen hours?"

"I shall, though I doubt she'll be happy," Jarvis said.

Steve didn't think she would be happy. He wasn't sure how it happened, but when Tony and Pepper had broken up, Steve had stayed with Tony rather than Pepper. It was an odd place for him--he hadn't actually been with Tony and Pepper so much as Tony's close friend who sometimes had sex with Tony and Pepper. Steve had gotten to know Pepper and like her before he started sleeping with them, but he hadn't ever really been that close to her. He had wondered if he was part of the reason why Pepper had left--sometimes it had felt more that Pepper happened to be sleeping with Tony and Steve instead. 

When Pepper had left Tony, Steve had naturally stuck around with Tony. He kept in touch with Pepper, but in a way that felt obligatory instead of the way he would with a friend. And he had always gotten the sense that she resented that he worked with Tony on missions and Avengers business. As if it was somehow his fault that Tony was a superhero.

"Not my problem right now," Steve told Jarvis finally. "But--don't tell her I said that."

"Your secret is safe with me, sir," Jarvis said quietly.

Steve looked up at the security camera. "Thanks."

~~~

Phil frowned at his phone. _Daddy says to remember to pick up dinner. He wants Chinese._

Code words, of course. Sent from Elizabeth's phone. Days, weeks, ago. He hadn't found them yet, though. He had checked all their regular bolt holes, but had nothing else. And now with SHIELD down, he had no easy access to resources to help him track Clint. 

It was a blessing, of course. If Phil didn't have access to those resources, no one else did. And with the whole mess, well, he was grateful that no one could find his family. He only wished that he had some way of knowing how to find Clint. Or even Natasha. 

"Coulson," Natasha said, as if he had summoned her.

He sat back on the hard plastic seat and looked around the restaurant. Nothing seemed out of place, but who knew? "I thought you'd have gone under."

She sat across from him. "You saw the broadcast then?"

"Kind of hard to miss it," he replied.

She hummed. "Clint?"

He shook his head. "I wish I knew."

"None?" she pressed.

He spread out his hands. "If you could help, I'd appreciate it."

She tapped her fingers on the table. "I might know something. Where the cascade begins."

He took a deep breath. "I just happen to be heading out. Want a ride?"

She slowly smiled.

~~~

"So, Nat tells me that you haven't kissed anyone since the forties," Tony teased with a devilish smirk, walking up from the basement.

Steve relaxed his muscles, beginning to half smile. Tony's smirk faded into a frown. "She also told me that you might be going on a date with...Sharon? Carter?"

Steve shook his head. "Maybe."

Tony hummed. "Doesn't seem quite like a maybe when you didn't remember her name."

Steve shrugged and propped his shield against the couch. He tilted his head at his duffel, hanging off his shoulder. "Mind if I crash here for a few days?"

"Of course," Tony told him. "Hungry? No, never mind, you're always hungry. Jarvis, order in pizza? Two?" Tony eyed Steve, looking him up and down. "Make it three."

Steve rolled his eyes. "Not that bad off, you know."

Tony hummed again and crossed the room to fall onto the sofa. "Right. You forget, Rogers, I know when you're tense. You've been by often enough when you are."

The unspoken part of their friendship dropped into the room like a lead blimp. Steve looked away, face blushing. Tony chuckled. "Nat also did not get to see you blush that bad."

Steve narrowed his eyes, glaring at Tony. "Did she tell you everything?"

"No, she told Clint everything," Tony corrected with a wiggle of his eyebrows. "And she told him when they were in the Avenger's Tower in New York. Worse than a knitting circle, those two. Think that if it concerns you, Jarvis will not start recording the conversation and let me know."

Steve tilted his head. "Thought Jarvis wouldn't record or monitor us if we told him not to."

"Eh, so I fibbed a bit when I told you guys that," Tony confessed with a nonchalant shrug. He looked up, likely feeling the glare that Steve directed his way. He groaned. "Look, he won't, really. Except when I give him a directive otherwise. In this case, it's if anyone mentions you in conversation within operating systems he has access to."

Steve thought about it. "So, any where in the world?"

"Only in a crisis," Tony amended. "I, frankly, do not want to hear it every time one of your fangirl clubs has a moment."

"You know, Nat probably thought that the Tower was a safe place for her to talk," Steve began. "That's why she talked to Clint there."

Tony smirked. "And she probably suspected that anyone could hack into my system and eavesdrop when they wanted to. So, what does that tell you about that?"

Steve let the topic go. A doorbell chimed. "Your pizza has arrived, Sir," Jarvis told them.

"That was fast," Steve muttered.

"I actually noted that you were driving here and alerted Sir," Jarvis explained. "He then ordered pizza."

Tony swore. "Thanks for spilling all my secrets, Jarvis."

"You're welcome, Sir," Jarvis said, a bit smugly.

Steve laughed and when Tony glared him, Steve winked. "So much for knowing me, huh?"

Tony waved his hand and stood up. "I know you well enough that three pizzas was definitely going to be needed after the recent mess in D.C."

Steve sobered up at that. Tony patted his shoulder as he walked by to get the door. "Don't think about it. We'll work through it later--and give you some more practice. Clearly I have not been holding up my reputation."

Steve watched Tony go, telling himself that he was most definitely not watching Tony's butt. "Who says I want practice from you? Maybe I'll have Jarvis get me Sharon's number."

"Please," Tony chuckled. "As if you would go for her when I'm already here and waiting."

~~~

It was weird, sleeping with Tony now. Well, in both senses of the word, Steve thought. With the arc reactor gone, there was nothing between them, bumping into chests and chins and shoulders. Nothing scratching into him when Tony fucked him from behind. No lingering taste of coconut when they kissed. (And Tony had lived up to his promise to give Steve a proper lesson in kissing; fucking they had been, but not a lot of kissing had been involved, even when Steve had been having sex with both Tony and Pepper, and Tony had felt it his duty to make up for lost time. Steve wondered if it was more than a bit of jealousy, as well.)

But the glow was gone as well. Still wired from the events in D.C., Steve was lying awake, staring at the ceiling. Used to be, if he woke up before Tony did, he would draw with only the light from the reactor. Not his best work, but he hadn't minded much. It was only for the sake of having something to do, to help him calm down enough to fall asleep.

Now it was gone and Steve was looking into nothing. He didn't want to move in case he woke Tony up--the bags under Tony's eyes had been heavy, making Steve wonder what kept him up--but neither could he fall back asleep.

"That bad, huh?" Tony asked, making Steve jump. Tony rolled over onto his side. "So much for your super human-ness."

Steve rubbed his hands over his face and the files on the Winter Soldier flashed in Steve's mind. That stupid serum--what Bucky must have gone through, Steve could only imagine. And knowing now that Bucky was the Winter Soldier, that he hadn't aged...how had it been done? Ice? From what Steve had learned, though, freezing people had bad consequences and Steve had only survived his time in the ice because of the serum. Bucky hadn't gotten the serum, only something close to it. 

He startled when he felt a hand on his arm. Tony froze. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Steve let out a breath and sat up. "Bucky."

"Bucky?" Tony asked. "As in, James Bucha--"

"--nen Barnes?" Steve finished. "Yeah. Have you ever heard about the Winter Soldier?"

Tony rolled onto his back. "Dad mentioned him once or twice."

Steve swallowed. "They're the same guy."

Tony was silent for so long that Steve wondered if he'd gone back to sleep. "One of the loves of your life--he's--"

"Not the love of my life," Steve groaned. "But yeah. He is. Working as an assassin. Has been for years. For Hydra."

"Wait, no, I'm confused."

Steve rubbed his face. "When Bucky fell off the train, Hydra picked him up. Put a metal arm on him, messed with his brain. Trained him up."

"Right, okay, but, Steve," Tony sat up. "Bucky fell off that train back in the forties."

"I know," Steve whispered. "Believe me, I know. No one really knows how, but he's been an assassin for that long. Maybe they froze him? I don't--I--"

Tony hummed. "Well. No wonder you're so fucked up. Between Peggy's organization falling apart because of Hydra and finding out about Bucky."

Steve cut him off. "I left him behind, Tony. He never left me behind if he could help it, always had my back. And I left him there."

Tony didn't say anything. He didn't have to. He wouldn't reassure Steve that he couldn't have known that Bucky would survive the fall, that there hadn't been time to go back. Not that far into enemy lines. Tony wasn't that sort of person and Steve didn't expect him to be. In fact, Steve had only said anything because Tony had asked, because he couldn't stop the words from coming out.

"You're going to go looking for him, aren't you?" Tony asked eventually.

"I've got to," Steve told him. "Left him behind once, I'm not doing it again."

Tony swung his legs out of bed. "Jarvis, lights at half." 

Steve blinked at the sudden brightness and when he refocused, Tony was already typing something on his tablet. "You're going to need some fancy toys if you're going to track down an assassin like the Winter Soldier."

"Tony--"

Tony looked up, but his face was closed off. Steve frowned and tried to figure out what was going on. 

"I hate to interrupt," Jarvis said into the silence, making both of them jump, "but there is a perimeter breach in the basement. Shall I call the police?"

"A breach?" Tony groaned. "Give me a break. I've got an entire week of vacation right now and no one else is here but Steve and I can't enjoy it. What is the world coming to?"

Steve smirked. "Might want to put on a pair of pants, Stark."

Tony stopped dead where he had been walking toward the hallway, but only for a second. "Fuck it, anyone breaks into my house at--what time is it, Jarvis?"

"Three forty nine a.m.," Jarvis replied.

"Three forty nine a.m., they will meet me naked," Tony finished. Steve shook his head as he pulled on pants to follow Tony downstairs.

~~~

The basement was lit, of course, but they couldn't see anything. Tony pulled on one of the gloves for his suit and hooked it up to an arc reactor. "Jarvis? Where?" 

"Behind the Mazda," Jarvis said.

A figure stood up. "How did it do that?"

Steve blinked. "Bucky?"

"James," Bucky said with a frown. "I don't know who the hell your Bucky was, but I'll agree to James."

"The Winter Soldier," Tony whispered. He looked at Steve. "Do I power down?"

"Or I can call the authorities?" Jarvis suggested.

Steve studied Buck--James. "Stand down."

Tony powered the glove down. Jarvis added in, "Should anything happen, however, I have the police on speed dial."

James scoffed. "Wouldn't trust them as far as I could throw them. Hydra, you know."

Tony nodded faintly. "Truth." He put the glove onto the work table. "So. Talk. What are you doing here?"

"Looking," James snarked back. He looked Steve up and down. "Smithsonian was good, but edited."

Steve raised his eyebrows. "And how would you know?"

Tony chuckled. "Got you there."

James scowled at him and Steve suddenly saw a future where, if James got his memories back, he would spend many moments refereeing team meetings and off hours bonding time. He should've expected this, really.

"Enough, both of you," Steve growled. Tony rolled his eyes and James stepped back. "Upstairs, all of us."

"Drinks, excellent," Tony exclaimed with a smile. "Nothing like a little liquor to loose the wheels."

James studied Tony. "And you willingly spend time with this guy?"

"Fucking me, too," Tony said gleefully.

Steve groaned. "No drinks--I threw everything out, remember? And Jarvis doesn't let you bring any more in. And James, just, I don't know. Ignore him."

"But seriously, fucking him?" James pressed as they entered the elevator.

~~~

There was only half a pizza left so they ordered more food--

"Do you not know how to get groceries?" Steve asked.

"Pepper did that," Tony pointed out with a tight smile.

Steve sighed. "Jarvis, put in an order."

"And let it all go bad?" Tony argued. "Cancel that Jarvis."

Steve let it go--for now.

\--and Bucky ate it like he hadn't eaten since...well, who knew when. 

"No money," Bucky pointed out. "Missions included stops for food before, you know?"

Steve knew about that. He had been on enough missions with SHIELD now. But he did get a paycheck so he could get food in between missions. Bucky didn't have that anymore, not if he had left whoever he worked for. And that was if he had ever gotten a paycheck. Who knew--they could have sent him on missions and kept him out of things when there wasn't any mission.

"So, what?" Tony asked as he pushed his food around on his plate. Steve glared at him and Tony glared back, the skinny ass. "You defected and are now looking for answers?"

"I can get answers about what happened to me," Bucky pointed out. "If I ask the right people. But if I ask, I might get pulled back in and I would rather get the choice now."

Steve frowned. "Why now?" When Bucky raised his eyebrows, Steve raised his own. "I'm serious here. Just because someone recognizes you now--you must've questioned it all before."

Bucky looks away. "Didn't think anyone would care much before. I knew I was an assassin, but who would care about someone who could kill as easily as I can? You're the first who called me by a name other than what I was told I was."

"So you came looking for him?" Tony asked.

Bucky nodded. "Of course. If he knew me, he might have answers. Don't have to like them and frankly, something in me still says my mission is to kill him, but I still want to know."

"I can only tell you what I knew from before you fell," Steve pointed out. "And you didn't care to the point where you beat me for it."

"And I pulled your punk ass out of the drink, didn't I?" Bucky argued.

God, that was so familiar that Steve almost lost it there at the kitchen island. Tony noticed, of course. He cleared his throat. "Much fun as this is, I think we all need to sleep some before we really get into this."

Steve wasn't sure--Bucky was here and wanted to talk. Who knew if he would be here when they woke up? But Bucky was nodding. "Could do with some shut eye, yeah. Don't suppose you'll let me sleep here?"

Tony thought about it. "You can, but only because Steve likes you. Come on, I'll show you to a room."

Steve put the dishes into the sink and followed them down the hallway. The two were silent, but their body language was hostile. Tony put Bucky in the room next to his own. "Jarvis will keep you locked in. Note that I will hunt you down if you break my tech and we'll see you in the morning."

Bucky nodded as if he expected that. His eyes racked Tony up and down and then he turned to Steve. "Just explain to me how you went from me to him?"

Steve felt his cheeks heat up with a furious blush as Tony turned wide eyes toward him. "And you said he wasn't one of your great loves."

Bucky smirked. "Oh, I never said anything about love. Just a whole lot of fucking."

The door closed behind him. Tony cleared his throat. "Just so I'm clear--is he insulting me by implying that I'm only a fuck buddy to you or is he just being conceited, thinking he's the better lay?"

Steve shook his head. "I'm not sure anymore."

"But, ah, you and me?" Tony looked up from under his eyelashes. Which was just unfair.

Steve took a deep breath. "Can't say you're a great love, but just maybe I do like you a bit more than a friend would."

Tony smirked. "Knew it! I can't wait to tell him."

Steve groaned and pushed Tony into the bedroom.

~~~

"I'm supposed to be heading out to Europe now that I've found you," Steve reasoned at breakfast the next morning.

Bucky snorted. "You didn't find me. I found you." He ate a bit of an egg--Steve had gone out and gotten some groceries. "And speaking of which, do you know how obvious it was that you ended up here?"

Steve frowned. "What's that mean?"

Bucky waved his hand at the house. "Stark's house. I would've checked with the Tower, but given recent events, I didn't think you would trust most of the people who are there. I did, however, suspect that you would trust Stark given that his parents were killed by--"

"Killed?" Tony interrupted. He turned hurt eyes to Steve. "What he's talking about?"

Steve closed his eyes. "I may have gotten some intel that Hydra had planned out your parents' deaths because they were problematic."

"And Tony's death, too," Bucky added in. "Which was another reason why I checked in here first."

Silverware went flying and a stool crashed to the floor. "When we're you going to tell me?"

"This morning," Steve said. "Well, I would have if we didn't suddenly have a former assassin--"

"Might still be," Bucky chimed in. "I'm in between jobs right now, not sure what's next for me."

"--popping in," Steve finished.

Tony took a deep breath and left the room. Steve groaned. Bucky chuckled. "So. Again I ask, that is who you're fucking now?"

"I swear to god, Bucky--"

"James. Got it?"

The doorbell went off. Steve raised his eyebrows. "What in the hell is going on? Is everyone going to show up?"

"I believe that is Mr. Barton and his daughter," Jarvis told them.

Bucky narrowed his eyes and left the room. Steve shook his head and went to the front door. "Clint."

Clint looked haggard and run down and was holding his daughter tightly. "We need a place to crash. You mind?"

Steve opened the door wider. "Why not? Everyone else is."

"Huh?" Clint asked. "We are--safe here, right?"

Steve nodded. "Yeah. Safe." He picked up the other suitcase by Clint's feet and closed the door. "Jarvis?"

"Sir has already informed me that Mr. Barton and daughter are welcome to stay and they may have their usual room," Jarvis replied.

Steve nodded at Clint who led the way upstairs and into the room with the best access to the roof. Elizabeth yawned. "Daddy?"

Clint smiled and brushed her hair back from her forehead. "Safe as houses."

She smiled. "Papa?"

Clint took a deep breath. "Not sure, baby. I'll find out, okay?"

She nodded. Steve left the bag by the door and left them to get settled in. "Jarvis?"

"Captain?" Jarvis asked.

"Where's Tony?" Steve questioned.

"In the workshop," Jarvis answered. "He's asking for you to come down."

Steve figured he did. He made fast time getting there and nodded at Dummy who was holding the door open. Tony had several computers open, each of them running what looked like tracer programs. Steve crossed his arms as he came to stand by Tony's shoulder. "Elizabeth was asking for her papa."

Tony nodded. "Jarvis told me. Phil died, though. Fury told us so himself."

Steve took a deep breath. "So. What now?"

"Sir, you might want to take a look at this," Jarvis interrupted. A camera feed over layed one of the searches, showing them the front step. Natasha and Phil stood there.

Steve should've known. People just didn't stay dead anymore, did they? "Jarvis, have Clint meet us in the living room."

Tony was shaking his head. "What the hell is going on?"

~~~

"Fury experimented on me," Phil explained. Elizabeth was clinging to him and Clint was hovering close by. Natasha had left, but Steve suspected she had found wherever Bucky was hiding. "I only just found out myself, but I'd rather not go into details." Clint squeezed his shoulder.

Tony fidgeted, thinking. "I don't think this has any bearing on what's happened though."

"You mean SHIELD going down?" Phil asked.

Tony nodded. "Something doesn't feel right."

Steve took a deep breath, weighed out the pros and cons. Phil caught his eye and Steve made a choice. "Fury's alive." He helplessly waved his hands a bit. "Gone to Europe--tracking things down."

"You mean Hydra is still--" Tony sucked in a breath. "Of course it isn't gone. SHIELD had offices everywhere. Bolts holes in places a dieing animal wouldn't go in."

Phil frowned. "How safe is this place, Tony?"

Tony shrugged. "How safe is anything anymore? If Hydra was inside SHIELD, they had all of SHIELD's notes and files. No one knows I own this place, but my name is on the paperwork."

Clint swore. "I came out here because you told me it was safe."

"SHIELD was safe," Steve argued. "Everything's changed now."

"Sir, I recommend that you all relocate elsewhere," Jarvis called.

Tony frowned. "Jarvis?"

"I intercepted a radio communication reporting unknown military helicopters where they are not supposed to be," Jarvis reported. "They are not responding to any hails."

"Pack it up," Steve ordered, looking at them all. "Now. Go."

Tony started ordering Jarvis to start a moving program and Phil and Clint took Elizabeth with them upstairs. Steve followed, hoping to find Bucky and Natasha.

~~~

Tony had them all stand within the range of an EMP device to deactivate any hidden trackers and they were off out the back door, taking a short hike to Niagra Falls. They crossed the border in a few hours with the help of forged paperwork from Natasha and Phil and found a no-tell motel to stay in for the night.

"Now what?" Clint asked. 

Steve took a deep breath. "I'm open to ideas. We need a safe place for us to come and go from. With SHIELD gone, we have no back up."

"And no one to trust," Natasha pointed out. It was clear from her eyes that this part was more directed toward a certain member of their group, but Bucky ignored it.

Phil cleared his throat. "Clint and I, of course, want to go underground, separate from the rest. For Elizabeth. But the rest of you--might I suggest you simply hide in plain sight."

Steve held up his hand to stall any immediate arguments. "Explain."

"Go back to the Tower," Phil said. "And do nothing, even when they attack. I suspect they are trying to prove that people like us cannot be trusted. Undermining the entire security structure of the entire world from the inside out."

"Like SHIELD," Steve said.

Phil nodded. "Yes. Everything has been thrown into confusion, the public doesn't know who to trust. And while I agree that Natasha did the right thing by releasing the information, the public will suspect any one of us as being part of Hydra."

"Which is why my stock rates are down," Tony muttered.

Phil continued regardless. "Should you be attacked, do nothing. When asked why you did nothing, organize a press conference. Tell them that you did nothing because you were unsure if it would be friendly fire."

"As if, unsure if the world was attacking you for thinking you were part of Hydra or if Hydra was attacking you," Natasha finished. "And say we delayed releasing a statement until we had determined who was behind it."

Phil nodded. "Exactly."

"Risky," Tony argued.

"But doable," Steve pointed out. "I like it."

Natasha smiled. "I'm in."

Tony scowled. "Of course you would be. You like risky behaviour."

She raised an eyebrow. "Tell that to your adrenalin junkie boyfriend."

Tony turned to Steve, curious. Steve shrugged. "Off the point. Your call, Tony."

Tony took a deep breath. "What the hell? I've threatened a terrorist--what's different about this? And let's go one better--let's go back to the Tower."

"In the middle of the city?" Steve asked.

"Oh, yeah." Tony smirked. "Let them attack us in the middle of a civilian population. They'll blame us a bit, sure. For putting the civies in the line of fire. But it won't be completely our fault--after all, we weren't the ones who let Hydra into SHIELD."

Steve nodded. "All right then. James?"

Bucky shrugged. "I have no immediate plans. I'll go."

Steve smiled. "Well, then. Let's head out."


End file.
